It was only after the first two thieves had spent a few minutes trying to break into the apartment with crude tools that they noticed that camera was recording them. They stopped for a moment and kept on working.

"It's kind of amazing to me the audacity of people these days that will actually look up at the camera and know they're on camera and still continue to commit the crime," Ives said.

What's more, they recruited someone older than they are to join them a few minutes later.

The thieves eventually got inside the apartment and took many of Ives' belongings, including an engagement ring and a sentimental samurai sword.

Police said the extremely sharp video should be helpful to catch and prosecute the intruders.

"I thought it was truly, I was like, 'Oh my gosh, look at this,'" said Brian Williams, a detective in the Kansas City Police Department's robbery unit. "I called everybody in the office and said, 'Look how good this is,' because it was that good."

It came from a $300 system that Ives bought some time ago, never knowing how useful it would be.

"I watch stuff on the news all the time and the videos you see on the news in the parking lots and inside of the store, you can't hardly see nothing," Ives said. "But this video is so crystal-clear that I mean, it's just amazing to me. Probably the best $300 I ever spent in my life."

After they were in the apartment for about five minutes, the thieves disabled the camera. Ives said he's since fixed it so that the equipment can't be tampered with anymore.

Anyone who can identify the thieves is asked to call the Crime Stoppers TIPS Hotline at 816-474-8477.